Authorities anticipate more arrests

Published: Tuesday, December 18, 2012 at 09:02 PM.

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With the arrest of three suspects Thursday, an alleged criminal ring responsible for home break-ins throughout Lenoir County may be ending.

According to a Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office release, the opening in the case came when a female friend of the homeowner at 2979 N.C. 58 N. arrived at the home at 9:58 a.m. She noticed a strange vehicle at the house and called 911. She identified someone within the home, and when confronting him outside the house, he pushed her to the ground and drove off in a silver 2004 Chevrolet Impala.

LCSO Deputy Ryan Dawson, working as part of the Community Crime Reduction Team, responded to the location soon after the call. According to the statement, Caro Autuan Hawkins, 23, of Kinston, was walking on the road near the residence. The 911 caller identified Hawkins as one of the suspects and Dawson arrested Hawkins as he walked away from the scene of the crime.

Authorities discovered Mister Premier Height, 22, of Kinston, as the operator of the Impala and the Kinston Department of Public Safety arrested him at his home. Jamarkus Cain Witherspoon, 17, of Kinston, was found to have participated in two break-ins and was also taken into custody.

During the crime, the suspects are alleged to have caused $200 damage to a door frame and casing while stealing two 46-inch flat-screen Vizio televisions, valued at $800 each. Authorities also seized two TV remotes and a Garmin GPS system.

According to court documents, Height was given a $350,000 bond for breaking and entering, larceny after breaking and entering, possession of stolen goods, conspiracy to possess stolen goods, second-degree kidnapping, attempted common-law robbery, possession of burglary tools, conspiracy to commit a felony, conspiracy to commit felony breaking and entering and conspiracy to commit felony larceny after breaking and entering. All charges are felonies.

Hawkins received a $105,000 bond for the following felonies: breaking and entering, larceny after breaking and entering, possession of stolen goods, conspiracy to commit a felony, conspiracy to commit felony breaking and entering and conspiracy to commit felony larceny after breaking and entering.

With the arrest of three suspects Thursday, an alleged criminal ring responsible for home break-ins throughout Lenoir County may be ending.

According to a Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office release, the opening in the case came when a female friend of the homeowner at 2979 N.C. 58 N. arrived at the home at 9:58 a.m. She noticed a strange vehicle at the house and called 911. She identified someone within the home, and when confronting him outside the house, he pushed her to the ground and drove off in a silver 2004 Chevrolet Impala.

LCSO Deputy Ryan Dawson, working as part of the Community Crime Reduction Team, responded to the location soon after the call. According to the statement, Caro Autuan Hawkins, 23, of Kinston, was walking on the road near the residence. The 911 caller identified Hawkins as one of the suspects and Dawson arrested Hawkins as he walked away from the scene of the crime.

Authorities discovered Mister Premier Height, 22, of Kinston, as the operator of the Impala and the Kinston Department of Public Safety arrested him at his home. Jamarkus Cain Witherspoon, 17, of Kinston, was found to have participated in two break-ins and was also taken into custody.

During the crime, the suspects are alleged to have caused $200 damage to a door frame and casing while stealing two 46-inch flat-screen Vizio televisions, valued at $800 each. Authorities also seized two TV remotes and a Garmin GPS system.

According to court documents, Height was given a $350,000 bond for breaking and entering, larceny after breaking and entering, possession of stolen goods, conspiracy to possess stolen goods, second-degree kidnapping, attempted common-law robbery, possession of burglary tools, conspiracy to commit a felony, conspiracy to commit felony breaking and entering and conspiracy to commit felony larceny after breaking and entering. All charges are felonies.

Hawkins received a $105,000 bond for the following felonies: breaking and entering, larceny after breaking and entering, possession of stolen goods, conspiracy to commit a felony, conspiracy to commit felony breaking and entering and conspiracy to commit felony larceny after breaking and entering.

Witherspoon was given a $160,000 bond for two felony counts each of breaking and entering, larceny after breaking and entering, possession of stolen goods, and conspiracy to commit felony breaking and entering, conspiracy to commit felony larceny after breaking and entering and conspiracy to commit a felony. He also received one felony count of obtaining property under false pretense.

Height, who played basketball for Kinston High School and Lenoir Community College, had a clean record before being implicated in an attempted first-degree murder in Smithfield in September. He still faces 24 counts of accessory after the fact of discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling and two counts of accessory after the fact of attempted murder.

According to the LCSO statement, more charges are pending and detectives believe these suspects, as well as others, are allegedly to blame for a series of home break-ins during the last month. Calls to LCSO Chief Deputy Chris Hill and Capt. Jim Oldenburg were not returned as of press time.

The Community Crime Reduction Team debuted in August 2011 as a five-deputy squad specifically created to combat larceny, break-ins and assaults through developing closer connections with area residents.

The three suspects are scheduled to appear in Lenoir County District Court on Jan. 7.

Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 or wes.wolfe@kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at WolfeReports